Elizabeth Kim, Staff Writer

Published 10:08 pm, Tuesday, January 25, 2011

STAMFORD -- Chelsea Piers appears close to obtaining zoning approvals for its plans to renovate a former East Side industrial site into a world-class sports and recreation complex, and in the process create an unrivaled athletic venue in the region.

During a two-hour public hearing Monday night, representatives for Chelsea Piers pitched their plan to transform a former Clairol manufacturing plant at 1 Blachley Road into a mammoth, three-tiered mall of activities and games.

"It will be probably one of the finest sports facilities in the country," said David Tewksbury, executive vice president of Chelsea Piers Management Inc., the company behind the well-known 1.7-million-square-foot waterfront sports complex in Manhattan.

The agreement will give Chelsea Piers roughly 418,000 square feet in two connected warehouse buildings once used to manufacture cosmetics. The $45 million renovation would result in facilities for a broad range of sports, including skating, swimming, gymnastics, tennis, squash, and two ice rinks, one built approximately to National Hockey League standards, and another roughly Olympic-sized. Multi-purpose fields will accommodate soccer, baseball, and lacrosse players.

Although only a few architectural renderings were provided, the building will be designed with 20- to 24-foot-high ceilings and transparent glass-filled interiors, intended to allow users to view goings-on simultaneously.

"It should be quite dramatic," Tewksbury said.

On the building's north end, the Connecticut Film Center will occupy about 81,000 square feet for two production studios.

The company is banking on the sizable Fairfield County population of adults and children who participate in sports and recreation. It intends to run its own programs as well as rent out the facilities to schools, organizations and individuals. The hours of operation are expected to range from about 5:30 a.m. to midnight.

More than 20 people, many from the Cove Neighborhood Association, attended Monday's hearing. While most expressed excitement about the plans, two neighbors said they were worried about the traffic generated by the site along Cove Road.

"It's a residential neighborhood," said Jeff Greenberg, a resident of Cove Road. "If you get the kind of business you want to, it would be very harmful."

The complex is to have a 894 parking spaces. While representatives for Chelsea Piers have said they expect the majority of users to enter from the north on Blachley Road, they acknowledged that there is likely to be some access through Cove Road.

Laure Aubuchon, Stamford's economic development director, expressed the administration's support for the project, saying the arrival of Chelsea Piers represents significant investment during a challenging economic period, when vacancy rates for industrial spaces and unemployment have been high. She said the company plans to hire 250 people with an annual payroll between $6 million to $7 million.

"This is a huge vote of confidence in the city." Aubuchon said.

Prior to settling on Stamford, Chelsea Piers had explored possible openings in San Francisco and Philadelphia, among other cities. But Tewksbury said the company was ultimately excited by the location of the Clairol site, which he described as "cloistered" in the heart of Stamford.

The Zoning Board is set to decide on the application as early as next month.

Staff Writer Elizabeth Kim can be reached at elizabeth.kim@scni.com or 203-964-2265.